Why is lying on your left better?

[Wonderstuff]

Have read this a few times, why is left better than right? Can lying on your back cause probs??

lol I thought it was better to lay on on your right ...I have no idea why.

Your liver is on your right side. When you are heavily pregnant it's supposed to be better to lay on your left for this reason.

Lying on your back can put pressure on the vena cava (i think I have the right vessel there) which can obstruct blood flow.

All of it is bollocks in a way though, if you're heavily pregnant your body will try to find a comfortable position, go with whatever works. If you are comfortable on your left, then that is best, but if you can only settle on your back then fine too. just get sleep while you can, your body will move you if there is a problem with blood flow (i believe)

As far as I know Because your liver is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus off that large organ. Sleeping on the left side also improves circulation to the heart and allows for the best blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Sleeping on your back means the uterus is putting pressure on your vena cava,The superior vena cava is a large vein that carries blood from the body straight to the heart. It lies in the middle of the chest, behind the sternum.
Superior vena cava obstruction occurs when something blocks the blood from flowing along the SVC. The walls of the SVC are thin, meaning they easily become squashed.

hth

As it happens I find it impossible to lay in any position for too long at the moment, much to DH's dismay.

Thank you
Have read it and never seen an explanation - feel bad when I move to my right or my back and didn't know what sort of risk if any I was causing. Keep thinking have never heard of anyone getting in to problems because they failed to sleep comfortably on their left..

So if superior vena cava obstruction happens - what happens?

youd become breathless, dizzy, lightheaded maybe nauseus etc

Lying on my left makes me burp (only when pregnant I should emphasise!). It is instantly relieved by turning to the right.

The difference between lying on your left or right is very minimal. IIRC, there were studies done ages back about blood flow in pregnant women, and they showed it was just very slightly better on the left vs right, so that got banded about as 'law' for the rest of eternity, making pregnant women think the world would end if they accidentally rolled on to their right side in the night!

Sleep how you're comfortable.

Because if the baby is in an LOA position it makes for an easier labour, and sleeping on your left encourages the baby to to the left.

If you sleep on your baby apparently more likely to have posterior baby, which makes for more difficult labour.

But NCT teeacher said ok to sleep on right as well.

ah, yes - forgot about the positioning (it's been a while)

that's a very very good point - it does help the bub get in the right position (obv don't worry pre-30 wks though)

It has to do with several of things:

1. it reduces the pressure on the vena cava (the large abdominal vein)- and so return of blood to the heart is better- which means less chances of oedema (swelling) of lower extremities.

2. it "pushes" the small intestine from its pressed position d/t gravity (pressuring the uterus on top of intestine, interfering with blood flow and digestion- that's why a lot of women suffer from constipation during pregnancy) whilst lying on back and standing, enabling better metabolism.

3. it enables the abdominal aorta (the large abdominal arterey) to pump blood effectively to the kidneys- (minimizing the chances of pre-eclampsia), the uterus (giving oxygenated blood and nutrients to baby), and lower extremities.

Hi

Sorry to hijack this but it answers questions I have had with the exception of one - I tend to sleep in the recovery position, i.e. half on my side, half on my front with upper leg bent upwards and lower leg straight down - is this ok? I suddenly thought last night that it might be damaging to the baby...

wibblela - that's actually a perfect position to encourage baby into the right position. Obviously you shouldn't lean too much on your bump., but i'm sure baby will let you know if you're being squished